Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

There won’t be defense spending cuts

For those who were duped into believing that DOGE is serious about defense budget cuts rather than centralizing control of spending and aligning spending with the political priorities of the Trump/Musk Administration, here’s Secretary of Defense Hesgeth: “Hegseth said beginning immediately, the Pentagon will pull 8% — or roughly $50 billion — from nonlethal programs […]

Trump FTC Cuts Ties with American Bar

Trumps FTC believes the ABA is corrupt. Having been around enough attorneys in my lifetime, they are not corrupt. They are smarter than we are on legalities. Reading the first sentence of Trump’s FTC letter reveals their beliefs: “federal antitrust enforcers and the private antitrust bar have enjoyed a cozy relationship facilitated by the Antitrust […]

Jobless claims: possibly the final “steady as she goes” report

– by New Deal democrat Let’s take our weekly look at jobless claims. These are a short leading labor market indicator. Also, it is likely that the firings in the federal labor force will shortly be reflected in this data. This week initial claims rose 5,000 to 219,000, while the four week average declined -1,000 […]

Mirabile dictu

“Palantir stock fell 10% for a second day on Thursday, adding to Wednesday’s 10% drop following a Washington Post report that said the Trump administration has told the Pentagon to plan for massive budget cuts over the next five years, casting doubt on a major source of the tech firm’s revenue.” I’d be happy to […]

‘Middle Finger’ to Veterans

Trump’s new VA secretary is a bigger threat to veterans’ care than Elon Musk. A ‘Middle Finger’ to Vets – The American Prospect, Suzanne Gordon and George Early In a scene that has become familiar in Washington these days, angry federal workers and concerned members of Congress gathered outside a government office to protest the […]

Cutting defense spending

Wanna know why nobody wants to cut defense spending? It’s because defense dollars are spread all over the country. There’s a military installation in every state. Many companies have contracts with the DoD. So any discussion of cuts ends up with folks saying “don’t cut our piece, cut their piece.” No Congressman wants their piece […]

Making America Infected Again

Incidence of bird flu in humans, though still low, is rising. “Regular” seasonal flu is now being classified as the worst in 15 years with more US hospitalizations for flu than for COVID. So far this year 68 kids have died of seasonal flu, and the US is on track to exceed last year’s children’s […]

They’re coming for Social Security

“Before President Donald Trump started mass layoffs of federal workers, he demonized them, arguing, despite evidence to the contrary, that most never went into the office. “As he moved to cut foreign aid, he and Elon Musk alleged widespread waste and abuse, although they offered little evidence to back up their claims and may simply […]